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0 Developed by Ernestas Norvaišas on the MonoGame engine and published by Team17 we have Sweet Transit. Initially released in Q2 2022 and is available on PC
Do Not Forget To Signal
Join me as I check out just what Sweet Transit has to offer with its multifaceted city-building transport simulator elements.
Gameplay
At first glance, the game looks like any other sim title of its type. However, it goes a lot deeper and has quite complex mechanics. There are basic sim elements, such as resource collection and goals. Sweet Transit however completely throws you off by not allowing certain buildings to be built anywhere near each other. Now, this is clever in certain ways as it does force you to create trail tracks everywhere. After all, the game is all about the railroads.
There is a tutorial available within Sweet Transit, I highly recommend this is completed. I think without this you would get completely lost in the game. There are a lot of options within the UI which you could potentially miss or spend time finding.
Jumping into the game you get to choose the map for your sweet civilisation, with an abundance of options you can tweak the map to suit you. However, if you are like me, you can just jump straight in with what you are provided with.
Firstly, one of the aims is to build and populate your towns and keep them running. Secondly, you have to create a complex railroad system to connect all of the elements you build together. This might sound simple. However, going back to the complex mechanics, Sweet Transit makes you think about everything in great detail. Everything from the tracks to the signals has to be perfect otherwise your track system will not work. One thing I would always recommend is to think ahead about where you are placing buildings and ensure you have enough resources nearby.
Graphics & Audio
The graphics for me were what I expected, nothing too intricate but reminiscent of the sim titles such as Sim City that paved the way for titles like this. They pair perfectly with the gameplay and more importantly, all the assets used are easy on the eyes. After all, if you are playing this for long stretches of time you do not want your screen glaring bright colours at you.
When it comes to audio, the sound effects do not really take centre stage. Instead, we have a bluesy/jazz-style soundtrack which plays on a loop as you are creating. More importantly, the music fits with the graphics and the style of Sweet Transit.
Longevity
As with all sim titles, you can sink years into them. I could quite easily see that happening with Sweet Transit. It is a game that is easy to understand when you get used to the mechanics. However, it is a game that requires some attention to master. The first couple of games you play, you are testing the waters. When you get used to the gameplay you want nothing but to better your creation every time.
Sweet Transit isn’t a game you jump on for a quick session. It quite easily draws you in and is a perfect title for long streams or gameplay sessions.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a casual Sim title this may not be the one for you. It has layers of gameplay and detail when building that could leave some frustrated. The tutorial is a must for any gamer to get the most out of Sweet Transit. There are a few things about the game which felt slightly off, however, these were all UI related as mentioned previously. Issues like this could be easily changed to make the title a little more friendly for some. However, I did enjoy my time in the game and would highly recommend it to those who are really looking for a challenge. I award Sweet Transit a Thumb Culture Silver Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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